Why microneedling can go wrong for those with darker skin tones, leaving them at greater risk of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation

When Sarah Vega tried microneedling in the US, it left her with clearer skin. When she tried it in Hong Kong, she suffered post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation

Darker skin is not meant to have as deep a treatment as paler skin, say experts. Some spas may not know that different skin colours need handling differently

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Microneedling involves the use of tiny needles to make microscopic punctures in the skin. A Post reporter recounts her experience of it in Hong Kong. Photo: Shutterstock

Sarah Vega

Published: 5:15pm, 8 Oct 2022Updated: 4:15pm, 10 Oct 2022

Corrected [4:07pm, 10 Oct, 2022]

[4:07pm, 10 Oct, 2022]
A caption said a photograph was of the writer after a microneedling session in Hong Kong. That is not correct - it is a photo of Sarah Vega before her first microneedling treatment in the United States.

I struggled with acne when I was growing up. I lived in the United States, in the South, and was an avid swimmer. The sun, chlorine and hormones took a toll on my skin and I had scars from picking at my imperfections.

As I got older, my acne mellowed – but the scars persisted. In February 2021, my aesthetician, a skincare specialist, suggested I try out microneedling, which is a minimally invasive procedure that involves the use of tiny needles to make microscopic punctures in the skin.

According to Dr Mamina Turegano, an American dermatologist, “all skin types can definitely benefit from microneedling”.

“The goal is to help with just remodelling collagen,” she says.

Vega before she undertook microneedling to treat her acne scars.

Sarah Vega after a microneedling session in the US.

Collagen, the elastic fibres that make the skin look tight and youthful, decreases as we age. New collagen can be produced when the skin repairs itself after this procedure.